Summer 2024 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[eye digress]

Players with different attributes that are hard to compare. Dougie brings a metronomic quality to the midfield passing, creating time and space (and with it, control). Tielemans brings more vertical penetration in his passing. Neither can tackle.

[VillaTim]

a number of times i saw Emery going mental at Luiz last season. Sometimes we need a higher tempo especially now we are fighting at the top 4/5 positions .

[OCD]

There seems to be a certain pining for Dougie, but he didn't seem inclined to sign a new deal and we had to move on.

For what we've lost, we will have gained in other ways. I'm looking forward to seeing a fit Ramsey get back to his best. Rogers is progressing. Onana will be our Vieira under Emery. Kamara will be back in another few months. Then Iling-Junior, Barrenechea and Barkley will all add qualities. End of season Tielemans was a lot better than start of the season Tielemans.

Then there will be a Diaby replacement, and maybe a Duran replacement if we can move him on.

We've never had this kind of squad depth before and that's wore us down in the end. It will be interesting to see what we can do on all fronts when we have 2 genuine options for every position.

[PaulWinch again]

Players with different attributes that are hard to compare. Dougie brings a metronomic quality to the midfield passing, creating time and space (and with it, control). Tielemans brings more vertical penetration in his passing. Neither can tackle.

You’re right, but pointless flagging to Tim he doesn’t understand the point.

[Villatillidie25]

a number of times i saw Emery going mental at Luiz last season. Sometimes we need a higher tempo especially now we are fighting at the top 4/5 positions .

A lot of that was because Emery was so demanding of Luiz and he was so integral to the way we play. It wasn’t because Emery was particularly annoyed or didn’t rate him, if anything the exact opposite.

[VillaTim]

a number of times i saw Emery going mental at Luiz last season. Sometimes we need a higher tempo especially now we are fighting at the top 4/5 positions .

A lot of that was because Emery was so demanding of Luiz and he was so integral to the way we play. It wasn’t because Emery was particularly annoyed or didn’t rate him, if anything the exact opposite.

How come he allowed him to leave then. I think Emery knew he needed this vital area upgraded.

[Dante Lavelli]

Haven’t we exhausted this topic already? I don’t think anyone will change their minds.

I’m strongly Team Luiz, but the fact so many decent posters think the other way gives me hope that I am wrong.  Viva Youri!

[PaulWinch again]

Erm he clearly wanted to leave.

[Villatillidie25]

a number of times i saw Emery going mental at Luiz last season. Sometimes we need a higher tempo especially now we are fighting at the top 4/5 positions .

A lot of that was because Emery was so demanding of Luiz and he was so integral to the way we play. It wasn’t because Emery was particularly annoyed or didn’t rate him, if anything the exact opposite.

How come he allowed him to leave then. I think Emery knew he needed this vital area upgraded.

Luiz wanted to go and wouldn’t sign a contract. Think it was in the athletic I read about emerys attitude towards Luiz so this isn’t just me hypothesising.

[Le Lapin]

Was a liability in the run in. Was mostly ordinary for us, but did have two brilliant half seasons. If he wanted out then I'm not  hugely bothered by him going.

[VillaTim]

agree

[PeterWithe]

he just comes across as a bloated, lumbering, arrogant mess. 

Shall we mark you down as undecided?

He’s apparently on £300k a week in his Chelsea contract, he’s not getting anywhere near half that in Europe so if he is flexible, he’d give us something extra we haven’t got, the ability to play longer and him to hold it up for midfield runners.

[PeterWithe]

Duggie was never quoted as wanting out,  reckon he was the saleable player it suited all parties to transfer out.

Still think we’ll miss him massively

[PaulWinch again]

Duggie was never quoted as wanting out,  reckon he was the saleable player it suited all parties to transfer out.

Still think we’ll miss him massively

Agree with that. He did something that our other midfielders don’t - now we’ll see whether the different attributes we’ve brought in with the new players complement each other well. But Doug is a big loss, who played a huge part in us being where we are.

[brontebilly]

Players with different attributes that are hard to compare. Dougie brings a metronomic quality to the midfield passing, creating time and space (and with it, control). Tielemans brings more vertical penetration in his passing. Neither can tackle.

Tielemans can't run either. The world's oldest 26 year old I recall a poster calling him, well into last season too. I remember him playing next to Luiz, Kamara must have been injured, at Bournemouth back in December. We might aswell have had a traffic cone in midfield next to Luiz. When he played in the Ramsey role on the left, he was a disaster too. Emery eventually found him a role up next to Watkins and that's fine when we have lots of possession. But out of possession even there he was a liability, struggles to press from the front. A good option to have further up the pitch, don't get me wrong, but replacing Luiz as a second 6, no chance for me.

Im really struggling to see how any combination of our new midfield options replaces the quality and stability Luiz/Kamara brought to our midfield. Barkley, given his history with us alone, must be our strangest signing since maybe Heskey? It's going to be some jump from starting with Luton, under little pressure as they were expected to be relegated anyway, to playing PL and CL football with us. Every performance scrutinised, dealing with rotation, he couldn't cope with it before. If Emery can get Barkley performing to the level Luiz was, football coaching is wasted on him, it's in the UN he should be.